Public Hearing - 2027 Tentative Budget 10/28/2026

Greene County, New York, held a public hearing on October 28, 2026, on its tentative 2027 county budget. The budget presentation proposed keeping the property-tax levy flat at approximately $27.404 million, continuing an eight-year pattern, while projecting about $59 million in sales-tax revenue. The presenter described a newly recommended ambulance fund and county support for EMS, including approximately $1.5 million in assistance to town budgets and about $3.2 million for fly-car contractual obligations. The presentation also cited recent capital spending funded with cash from surpluses, including an estimated $16 million community services/mental health building and approximately $15 million to revitalize four stations. No contracts or vendors were selected, and no budget vote or procurement action occurred at the hearing.

Public commenters asked the Legislature to consider reducing the tax levy, clarify the purpose and use of ambulance-fund allocations, and increase town ambulance assistance; a representative of the mountaintop towns requested an 8% increase in that assistance. The presentation warned that growing reliance on sales-tax revenue and annual surpluses could constrain future budgets, and identified limited water and sewer capacity as a barrier to commercial and industrial development. These comments were heard for consideration; no decisions were made at the hearing.